The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-07-01
Mr.. AND MRS. RowsER.
BY MRS. BowsER.

W DCuaNc IN slTdnSe manper. i no.
ticed him looking at the outside of the
house from the front and back, accom-
panied by strange men, and from NV
open window / heard them talking
about modern colors, meadow
green" and other mysterious things.
1t was not until found board in the
back yard with half dozen colors
of fresh paint on it that / suspect
ed anything. Then asked Mr.. Bows
er:
''You can't be thinking of having
any painting done around here this
springP"
Il think the cornice ought to be
touched up little.
But we had everything painted a
gear ago. and yon said It wenld stand
for ten years. =
IF | said so it will, but the style of
of color is changed this year, and III
have man here for two or three
days"
'And you'll have us all in a, muss
for the next month. Mr.. Bowser, can't
you let this house alone for day
or twopn
He gave me a look of deepest re-
proach and turned away / had began
to feel sorry for my expression when a
wagon load OF poles drove in the alley.
1t had not vet been unloaded when
another wagon loaded with paint-be-
daubed ladders drove up. Then came
dray on which were kegs and buckets
and cans and brushes and | was COM
PEELED to realize that Mr.. Bowser was
going to paint. The cook had also
seen the outfit, and presently came in
to me and asked:
fare you going tt have the painters
around herep"
Eyes, Hannah, Mr.. Bowser proposes
to touch up the cornice little.''
And he may touch up an intel
ligence Office while he is about il, for
won't stay! We've been paperino-
cleaning, putting down carpets, sod,
ding the back yard, oiling the wood
work and doing something or other for
the last six months, and I'm tired out
1t is now thirty-one seconds to 5
o'clock. AT sharp / leave the house!"
She was as good as her word, and
when told Mr.. Bowser of her going,
and related the cause, he Indignantly
replied:
Now I'll paint the barn and fence
to boot--see if / DON'T I'll show that
girl that she can't run this family while
cur name continues TO be Bowser."
Next morning the painters went to
work. That is. they didn' exactly go
to work. They came and sat around
in the barn and smoked, and some of
sem feebly stirred away at the paint
pots, and some more of EN- looked at
the house and inquired of each other
when Mr. Bowser got out of the lunatic
asylum. Next day the force of paint
ers was increased by three, and they
got two ladders up, pounded some
putty into three or four nail holes and
stirred up seven or eight colors of
paint Along towards supper time one
of the crowd toiled up one Of the lad
ders in a weary, respondent way.
jabbed at one of the brackets with a
brushful of paint, and the others stood
off to examine the effect and give their
criticisms. 1t seemed to be a very
delicate operation. Some of them kept
walking backwards to get better
squint until they walked out of sight,
and others had TO sit down on the
grass and light their pipes and rest
their eyes by looking at the hired girl
next door.
On the third day Mr.. Bowser remain
ed at home, and the men dug holes all
around the house to set their poles, got
up scaffold to work on and almost
finished painting one bracket They
might have wholly finished it if they
had agreed on colors. Some of 'em
wanted the bracket lilac color, with
the background dull drab, and others
struck for something more lively or
more aesthetic Mr.. Bowser said he
would consult the old masters, and
seven drops of rain decended from the
heavens just in time to les the men off
at 4 o'clock. When they had gone |
founG seven windows smeared with
paint pane of glass broken and the
KNOBS Of six doors touched up" in the
laIesb farls style.
The painters are with us yet Not
dose painters, but some others. The
first gang lasted two days. Then Mr..
Bowser suddenly asked the man who
seemed to be the foreman--at least he
loafed away most of the time what
they were doing to earn their money.
This isn't job to be rushed r.
calmly replied the man. IF we should
get one Of these seventeen delicate
colors in place of another your house
wonld be ruined
Mr.. Bowser reduced the delicate
colors to fourteen, and hired d new
gang. In the course of a week this